October 2013 posts

10/31/2013

Yes indeed, I am excited, just like the kids. And for us, so far anyway, it's much more about the costumes and the new identities we will don for the day and not as much about the candy. Obviously, I realize we are probably in our last year of candy being less important, but I will always love the costumes!

So here are the completed costumes. We took these pictures at our neighborhood parade on Saturday.

All that equals...totally awesome! Right?! Next up, Saber Toothed Tiger...careful he's scary! Shirt Bimaa Sweater with shaw collar, fancy pants (the bum panel is perfect for tail additions!) both in this super perfect fleece that we found at Jo-Ann, because you might not know this but saber toothed tigers aren't really striped, more lion-like. Mittens, with craft foam claws and Hood are both from Little Things to Sew. The fangs on this guy took a bit of trial and error, but they ended up being felt cones with a bit of wire and stuffing inside of them.

All together they turned out totally bad-a**! And, what is cuter that a toddler bum with a tail on it, am I right?! These guys love their costumes so so much! And I do too! Even if making them did drive me a bit, ahem, batty... Mini felt bats, pipe cleaners and a headband is all i could muster up this year for myself...but it's fun and totally doable even last minute!

We are ready for Halloween, complete with carved turnips (thanks to a Martin & Sylvia Halloween story), pumpkins designed by Henry and Violet, bats and a creepy guy and cat... And, even though there will be lots of candy today, a pumpkin pie...because my husband is going to miss out on pumpkin pie this year because his jaw is going to be wired shut, boo, so I thought Halloween was a good time to make one... I hope you have a fantastically magical and fun Halloween! I leave you with my little saber toothed tiger growling, be warned it's scary...

10/30/2013

First, yesterday, as I mentioned, was picture day. Violet was very excited, of course.

We were also, as I mentioned, in a hurry and were quickly snapping a couple of photos while we were waiting for Henry to get his shoes on, etc. After I got a few pictures I helped Violet put on her sweater because it was chilly out...
And then casually (or so it felt casual to me) said, "Don't forget to take off you sweater for pictures"... because I thought that, while the sweater looked cute, it might look too bunched up and cluttered with all of the buttons in the photo. Plus, honestly, I thought that she would get too warm wearing her sweater.

Cut to after school...

Violet's teacher told me that Violet looked beautiful for her pictures and that her hair was nicely done, etc, etc. but then, when they got back to the classroom she became upset because she forgot to take off her sweater. She proceeded to tell her teacher that I had made her the dress for picture day and that I wanted her to take off her sweater for the photo. Melt down. Her teacher is super sweet and oh so nice and was able to get Violet squeezed in for another picture sans sweater by the photographer. "Crisis" averted.

Except that it wasn't, not for me. Blech! I felt like such a terrible mama at that moment. Sure, sure, it's a funny story, in hindsight (sort of) and now she'll always have that to look back on hold over my head, just like I remember my mom making me wear a tie for school pictures one year. But man, it made me feel bad. I gave Violet a hug and then held her hand as we walked home. I told her that I really didn't care. And, that I would never be upset about something like that. That the only reason I would ever be upset with her was if she had done something wrong or bad. That I don't really care what she wears. That the sweater looked great with her outfit! And, that I totally understood that she forgot. I told her that I understand that she has lots going on at school and that it's hard to remember everything, especially when the routine is changed around (as in picture day). And that we all forget things! And then I tickled her to make her giggle and hugged her again and then she chased Henry and I home.

Alright, so happy ending...But it made me realize that, as a five year old, she really is becoming so grown up and that I, perhaps, need to be more careful with the way I word things nowadays, because she takes things quite seriously and because she always wants to please everyone. I know where she is coming from as I never wanted to disappoint anyone growing up and have felt "grown up" for longer than I have actually been a grown up. And so, our similarities continue and I need to be mindful of them.

Next mom confession...

I love school. I always loved it as a child, and I love how much fun the kids have at school and that they are coming home excitedly telling me all about the things they've learned...But, this year, Kindergarten, has made me feel like a drill sergeant! No fun! It feels like the moment the kids come downstairs in the morning it begins...

It's essentially an hour on nearly non stop nagging in order to get us out the door. Nagging is no fun for the naggy or the nagger and because of it and our rushing around inevitably we end up walking out of the house with Henry in meltdown mode because something didn't go exactly has he wanted it to go.

More often than not, I am the mother who is walking down the street with a child who is crying on the way to or from dropping Violet off at school. The other day I sat here for 15 minutes on the way home waiting for Henry to decide that he was ready to keep walking...
Our morning routine has been really not much fun these past few weeks. Something needs to change...

I have been somewhat resistant to sticker charts, I don't know why really, I guess I am just doubtful that they work. But, then again, all kids love stickers and like to be rewarded for doing good things, right? So I thought we'd give it a try. If there is a visual aid and a simple reward (a sticker) for doing our morning time activities then maybe they will become more like fun things to do and be completed in a more timely fashion.

Yesterday I made this handy dandy chart. (Please excuse my simplistic chalk drawings.)
And today we tried it for the first time. Each child gets a sticker to put on the chart after each task is completed.

Success! For today anyway. We made it through our entire morning with no nagging (a few reminders, but not of the nagging variety), no crying or whining and we made it out of the house on time and to school with plenty of time to spare!

High fives all around!

And, for walking all the way to school and back without any tantrums Henry got a bonus sticker...
Fingers crossed that the novelty doesn't wear off too quickly and that it keeps working!

10/29/2013

I am a bit late, yes. But I've got a few more things to share from my Kids Clothing Week sewing...
Truthfully, the dress was completed yesterday, but still...it counts right?!

After getting the kid's Halloween costumes completed I really just wanted to step away from the sewing machine and take a break. There was no way I was going to be able sew up all that I had hoped so I thought I'd just take a break and do it another time.

But then there were those flannels that I purchased last week just sitting there taunting me...
So, so very soft! Seriously, I love these flannels, the softness of flannel with the look of wool! Fantastic!

Henry got a pair of parsley pants that have a bit of a retro feel to them...completed with pouch pockets and essex linen knee patches...
I pressed the lining of the pockets a bit toward the outside to give a little "piping effect"...
I made the size 3 this go around because Henry is somewhere slightly in the middle of size 2 and 3 now. I probably should have made the size 2, because his bumblebee boy shorts still fit him well, but, after making these pants for Violet last year only to have them be too small too soon, I figured I may as well ere on the big side. Which might be for the best in the end because so far he has refused to wear them, he barely tried them on. So, I may let the hem and waist out and have Violet wear them because she loves them!

To go with the pants I made Henry a raglan tee (from the Sewing for Boys book) with his all-time favorite thing to say on the front...
For some reason the ink blurred around the edges of my freezer paper stencil, boo, but my husband thinks the blurry is good, "It's like smoke". I think he might have been just trying to make me feel better.

Anywho, I made the size 4/5 because making the same size as I did a year and a half ago seemed odd. I have no idea if the shirt fits, he refuses to try it on. Another thing Henry refuses to wear. And, another thing that I'm glad is on the big side so that, perhaps, Violet can wear it instead.

So, in case you are keeping track Henry made out the best this round of KCW (I was feeling bad about all of the sewing I had been doing for Violet...)
Fancy pants, bimaa sweater, raglan, and parsley pants...Plus his totally awesome Halloween costume! But, so far, the fancy pants and costume are the only things he has worn, oy!

Oh well.

On to Violet's only non costume KCW clothing, the thing that I sort of "cheated" on being that it was actually made yesterday...
I found out over the weekend that picture day was today. So, naturally, I had to "whip something up" for the occasion.
The pictures aren't great because we were literally running out the door (as we always are)...

The dress is Debbie's birthday dress, with a little essex linen down the front, sweet blue buttons and a bit of pink piping.

The back closes with a soft "sweater button"...
The mixture of the a-line style and plaid give it such a "classic" look, but the pink piping makes it a bit more "modern". Doesn't she look so grown up?! She loves her new dress and is so excited about her first "picture day".

Mommy, on the other hand, is kicking herself for her haste in making the dress and is quite disturbed by the mismatched plaid on the front! Argh, enough so that I might need to fix it! Anywho...Violet doesn't mind which is all that matters.

10/28/2013

Last weekend, just before our Fall Festival party, we made this sweet and fun Halloween garland...
All it took was some orange and black paper, a circle puncher and some Halloween themed punches, and then we sewed them together...
My favorite part about them...
The sun shines in our front window in the morning for these delightfully silly shadows!
Plus, Violet and Henry had a blast helping me make it!

I did manage to finish up making some goodies with that flannel I showed you last week for KCW, I just haven't gotten any pictures yet, tomorrow...

And, I finished costumes too! YAY! A mere hours before our neighborhood parade, but they are done and totally awesome, if I do say so myself. Tee hee. I'll show you on Thursday.

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I'm Jane, thanks for stopping by! I hope you take your time and take a look around...If you do you'll our adventures in sewing, creating, crafting, gardening and exploring...it's what gets us through the day and fullfills us!
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